Undergarment



Nov. 12, 1963 PLEHN 3,110,313

UNDERGARMENT Filed June 5, 1961 FIG.1

INVENTOR HENRY M. PLEHN United States Patent 3,110,313 UNDERGNT Henry M. Plehn, New York, N.Y. Filed June 5, 1961, Ser. No. 114,802 2 Claims. (Cl. 128-443) This invention relates to an undergarment and more particularly to a combination corset and brassiere type garment, commonly referred to as a corselette, adapted to control and mold the figure, while permitting freedom of movement of the body of a wearer.

In a garment where the brassiere and corset portions have been united to form a unitary body-encircling garment, the overall confining and restricting controls extending as they do, to include the busts, diaphragm, hips and torso of the wearer, generally result in an inordinate restriction of movement as well as of the physical activities of the wearer. Such overall restrictive controls have generally made it necessary to provide an assortment of varying lengths in such garments in addition to the conventional sizes dependent upon bust and girdle size.

It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide in a corselette, an expansible area bridging the corset and brassiere portions of such garment which in addition to providing proper molding and restrictive controls to the thoracic area of the body, will yield longitudinally, so as to be adapted for wear, especially by a long-waisted wearer, without in any way creating a downward drag upon the busts.

Such garments, extending as they do from the bust region to, and including the torso, have a tendency to create a downward pull, especially where hose supporters exert an anchoring'pull at the bottom thereof. Additionally, when the wearer may rise to her full height, expanding her chest, or raising her arms, the tendency has been to exert an upward pull upon the entire garment. lt is quite obvious that such movements must of necessity remain quite restrictive if the wearer desires that the garment remain placed over those areas of the body where maximum results are attained from such garment. Such upward and/or downward movements causing movement of the garment so as to dissipate its molding and supporting functions have often resulted in serious physiological as well as psychological efiects upon the wearer, as for example, by causing irritations and unsightly silhouettes, especially of the busts.

It is therefore another object of the present invention to provide means in a corselette responsive to upward and/or downward stresses, responsive to flexures of the body of a wearer.

A further object herein is the provision of a cor selette in which the brassiere and corset sections thereof are so interrelated as to be complementarily yieldable with respect to each other.

In general, achievement of the foregoing objects and advantages of the present invention is secured by providing an intermediate body-encircling portion interconnecting the brassiere portion with the corset portion of a corselette, which is highly yieldable vertically and to a lesser degree, yieldable horizontally. The yieldability of such medial body is substantially the same degree throughout its encirclement of the body, and is responsive to any stresses, whether emenating at the bottom or top portion of the corsellette. Since the thoracic region of the body generally requires the least restrictive forces in supporting the body, the provision of the unique bodyencircling mid-section of the corselette is adapted to furnish minimum yet sufficient and proper controls thereto, while being responsive to longitudinal stresses and pulls.

Patented Nov. 12, 1963 Other objects, advantages and inventive characteristics of this new and unique garment structure will become apparent to those versed in the art from the following description of a particular embodiment of the present invention, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings, in which similar reference characters identify similar parts in the several views and in which:

FIG. 1 is a front view of a corselette constructed according to the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a rear view of the corselette as shown in FIG. 1; and

FIG. 3 is a partial view of the front of the corselette shown in a longitudinally extended position.

Referring now to the drawings, the corselette 10 of the present invention generally comprises a brassiere portion; corset portion, and a medial portion connecting each of the aforementioned portions; said portions or areas designated as A, C and B respectively, to form a unitary garment.

The brassiere portion or area A is comprised of a pair of laterally spaced bust cups 11, 12 joined to each other by a medial seam 13, each of said bust cups being reinforced by traverse stitching '14 and vertical stitching 15. Each of said bust cups 11, 12 are secured by stitching 16 along the lower edges thereof to medial portion B and presently to be described. Padded members 17 may further be provided in the lower inside portion of each of said cups 11, 12 to insure additional uplifting support to the busts of the wearer. Conventional shoulder straps =18, are secured at one end thereof to the top of bust cups 11, 112, and at the other end thereof, through branched elastic strips 19 to the upper edge of medial portion B at the rear of the garment 10.

Corset portion C is comprised of a front central panel 20 having a vertical stretch characteristic, and adapted to overlay the abdominal region of the wearer. A pair of front side panels 21, 22 having a substantially horizontal stretch characteristic are joined to front central panel 2% by stitching 23 along the inner edges of said side panels 21, 22, said edges being in partial overlapping relation to front central panel 29. A substantially arcuate line of stitching 24 is provided, joining the outer edges of front central panel 20 to front side panels 21, 22. The rear of the garment 19 comprises a rear central panel 25 having a vertical stretch characteristic and is joined to rear side panels 26, 27 having a substantially horizontal stretch characteristic along the outer edges thereof by stitching 28. Front side panels 21, 22 and rear side panels 26, 27 are further joined by stitching 29 along the outer vertical edges thereof to form a body-encircling corset portion. A pair of conventional hose supporters 30 are secured along the bottom edge of front side panels 21, 22 also forming the bottom edge of the garment 10, at the front thereof. Substantially triangular gusset inserts 3 1, 32 of a highly extensible net-like fabric having a two-way stretch characteristic are joined at the lower edges of rear side panels 26, 27 and side edges of rear central panel 25, forming part of the lower edge of garment 10 at the rear thereof. A pair of conventional hose supporters 33 are further secured to said gussets at the bottom edges of said gussets 31, 32.

Medial portion B comprises a front medial panel 35 and a rear panel 36 joined at the side edges thereof by stitching 37 to form a body encircling structure adapted to substantially overlay the thoracic region of the body of the wearer. The bottom edge of front panel 35 is joined by stitching 38 to the top edge of corset portion C at the front thereof while the bottom edge of rear medial panel 36 is joined by stitching 39 to the top edge of corset portion C at the rear thereof. The top edge of front medial panel 35 is joined to the brassiere section A, as

heretofore mentioned, by stitching .16. An underlying panel 40 maybe secured to front medial 35 adapted to provide additional support to the thoracic area of the body. Panels 35 land 36, intermediate sections A and C, are fabricated of a highly extensible long-stretchable net elastic material.

It will thus be obvious that the expansibility of medial area B permits enormous expansion both in the front, sides and; rear of the garment responsive to stretching, bending and the like, While sections A and C remain absolutely firm upon the body. Further such panels '35 and 36 are responsive to vertical pull and may expand as illustrated in FIG. 3 to as 'much. as 100% so as to fit a regular as well as a long-waisted wearer. When the body of the wearer therefore assumes a normal or average attitude, medial portion B will be in a rel-atively distended condition. Upon stretching, bending or like movements, such medial portion B, being highly extensible will require less force for its responsiveness and will therefore allow the garment to respond to such movement without any disturbance to the brassiere section A or corset section C.

The gusseted inserts 31, 32 at the bottom rear of the garment it) to which hose supporters 33 are attached are likewise responsive to any pull of such hose supporters, especially when the wearer is in a forwardly bended attitude.

. While a specific embodiment has herein been described, it is apparent that changes and modifications may be made therein, and as so changed, such modified structure would still fall within the ambit of this invention. For example, a. brassiere section extending across the back may be employed, in which case, the rear section of such body encircling brassiere along the bottom edge thereof will be joined to the medial portion B along the top edge thereof. In such a modification, the shoulder straps 18 will of course be joined to the top edge of the brassiere section A at the rear thereof, rather than the top edge of the medial section B as herein described.

I claim:

1. A corselette comprising a brassiere portion and a body-encirclingcorset portion, said brassiere portion comprising a pair of bust cups, and substantially along the lower edge thereof, being secured to an intermediate bodyencircling portion along the upper edge of such intermediate body portion, said intermediate body-encircling portion comprising a front medial portion and a rear panel which forms said body-encircling portion; said intermediate body-encircling portion being fabricated of a highly extensible vertically stretchable net material; said intermediate portion along the lower edge thereof being joined to said body-encircling corset portion along the upper edge thereof; said corset portion comprising central front and central rear panels having a vertical stretch characteristic; a plurality of side panels having a horizontal stretch characteristic being joined to said front and said rear central panels along the vertical edges thereof whereby a body-encircling corset portion is formed; a plurality of hose supports in spaced relationship secured to said corset portion along the lower edge thereof; and shoulder straps secured at one end thereof to the top edge of said bust cups; and at the other end thereof to the rear panel of the intermediate body-encircling portion.

2. A corselette comprising a brassiere portion and a body-encircling corset portion, and an intermediate bodyencircling portion having a substantially vertical stretch characteristic fabricated of a highly extensible net elastic fabric encircling the body of the wearer, said intermediate body-encircling portion comprising a medial portion, said medial portion along the top edge thereof being secured to said brassiere portion along the bottom edge of said brassiere portion, said medial portion along the bottom edge thereof being secured to said corset portion along the top edge of said corset portion, shoulder straps at one end thereof being secured to said brassiere portion at the top thereof, and at the other end thereof to said medial portion at the rear of said corset portion; hose supporters secured in spaced relationship to said corset section at the lower end thereof.

Snader Nov. 13, 1934 Kahn Oct. 27, 1942 

1. A CORESELETTE COMPRISING A BRASSIERE PORTION AND A BODY-ENCIRCLING CORSET PORTION, SAID BRASSIERE PORTION COMPRISING A PAIR OF BUST CUPS, AND SUBSTANTIALLY ALONG THE LOWER EDGE THEREOF, BEING SECURED TO AN INTERMEDIATE BODYENCIRCLING PORTION ALONG THE UPPER EDGE OF SUCH INTERMEDIATE BODY PORTION, SAID INTERMEDIATE BODY-ENCIRCLING PORTION COMPRISING A FRONT MEDIAL PORTION AND A REAR PANEL WHICH FORMS SAID BODY-ENCIRCLING PORTION; SAID INTERMEDIATE BODY-ENCIRCLING PORTION BEING FABRICATED OF A HIGHLY EXTENSIBLE VERTICALLY STRETCHABLE NET MATERIAL; SAID INTERMEDIATE PORTION ALONG THE LOWER EDGE THEREOF BEING JOINED TO SAID BODY-ENCIRCLING CORSET PORTION ALONG THE UPPER 